Who is in charge? Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008 and the governance of cultural planning

Cultural planning has emerged as a key concern for town planners and policy-makers. However, although extensive attention has been given to critical and evaluative approaches of the impact of cultural planning, there is a comparative lack of research using theories of governance. This article contributes to the literature on cultural planning using the case study of Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008. The article illustrates how a range of local state organisations, particularly those from the cultural sector, administer cultural planning in Liverpool, showing how cultural planning can be understood as a new form of urban governance.